Dont cry.
Reflecting on the path. . .
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Jesus’ compassion.
(Luke 7:13 NIV) When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
How often we want to say these same words. “Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.” We remember when our children were small and we could fix practically anything. We remember when we could stop their crying and bring a smile. And then life continues past what we can fix.
And now it seems we cant fix anything in their lives.
How wonderful it would be to take away the person’s pain and sadness. How wonderful if we could make everything okay for them. But we can’t, not usually, not often anyway.
What we can do is begin to understand from this passage the compassion that God has for us in the pain and sadness of our everyday lives.
God isn’t interested only in the big picture one day we will be with him in heaven. He is also concerned with our everyday pain and fear and disillusionment.
If Christ were beside us , we would hear him say again and again, “Don’t cry!” God in his wisdom doesn’t “make everything better” in the here and now, but through Christ we see that he cares about the here and now.
Jesus did so much more.
Christ did more than well up with compassion. He provided an eternal solution through his obedience to his calling death on a cross. His compassion paralleled a life of obedience guided by the will of the Father, set in place before the earth’s foundations were laid.
Jesus cried.
He came and saw the pain of this earth. He wept over their foolish refusal to let him care for them. He cried so that one day he could wipe away all tears.
Too much pain, God.
In our limited view of God’s plan, we want him to fix this life. I know I do. Sometimes life is just too darn painful. I have a severely handicapped son and seeing him in his condition is sometimes like a spear through my heart. Too much pain, God, too much pain. And my poor wife, the agony of heart and soul of a mother watching one of her children struggle so. Too much pain.
We cant fix it.
Its not our call. We cant fix his loneliness and sadness. We cant fix his mental instability. But we can be a part of his life.
Compassion equaled a cross.
Christ showed his compassion by raising the widow’s son from the dead. He showed his compassion even more strongly by having the courage to face the cross.
Because of the cross Jesus Christ can say “Don’t cry. Everything’s gonna’ be alright!” One day God will wipe away all tears but not just yet.
(Revelation 21:4 NKJV) And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
